About Dan Michel of Northgate little is known, and much of what is known about him comes from his only work, which was completed in 1340. The Ayenbite of Inwyt (remorse of conscience, or, literally, again-biting of inner wit) is not an original work, but rather a prose translation of Somme des Vices et Vertus (1279), better known as the Somme le Roi, a widely read work by the French friar Lorens (Laurentius Gallus). Dan Michel's translation is rather literal, and it may appear unremarkable to someone first approaching it. To date, the primary importance of the Ayenbite of Inwyt has been its language--it remains the best extant specimen of the Kentish dialect. However, this text has other ramifications in the study of the English language that have yet to be explored.

Throughout the thirteenth century English church fathers were confronted with the problem of widespread ignorance among their priests...